BB 03-14-25

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 33

MAR 14, 2025

 

FROM THE OFFICE

We made it, by God’s grace!  Spring break has arrived and we are thankful for the hard work students invested into this last quarter.  Go and take a break!  Hike and explore new trails and parks.  Throw frisbees, kick soccer balls, ride bikes, fly a kite.  Put up a hammock and grab a good book.  Paint a landscape, plant some flowers, bask in God’s goodness!

FOR ALL: 
  • UNIFORM NOTES:
    • Sweaters are optional on dress uniform days in the 4th quarter!
    • Now that the weather has warmed up and kids are wearing shorts and skirts, we can see that many of them have had a huge growth spurt over the winter!  It’s time to purchase some new items that fit them and are the appropriate lengths.  
    • Used Uniform Sale:  Monday April 7th.  A SignUp Genius link will be sent after spring break, but go ahead and mark your calendars!  Most items are just $5!  
  • Reminders:  Early dismissals, sickness, planned absences
    • Early dismissals:  Please inform the office and teacher via email 24 hours in advance of needing to pick your child up early from school to provide the teacher an opportunity to prepare the student with the least disruption to the class.
    • Sickness:  If we need to call you to pick up your child, please make sure there is someone you can send to pick them up within 30 minutes.
    • Planned absences:  Please give plenty of notice if your student will be absent due to a planned vacation so they can complete their work in advance.

 

LOWER SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • 4th Grade:  There are TWO fun events the week after spring break!  PERMISSION SLIP Please fill this out by Monday, 3/24.
    • Wed, 3/26, 1:00 – 2:45:  Medieval Day at the upper school
    • Fri, 3/28, 12:00 – 2:45:  Quo Vadis?  (Upper school preview day so students can see where they are going next year!)  Parents are invited to come for a special session at 2:00pm.  

 

UPPER  SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • Mon, 3/24, 6:00 pm:  Parent Mtg for 8th / 9th Colonial Williamsburg trip.  We hope at least one parent and student can attend.  
  • Medieval Day Sign Up Sheet:  8th and 11th Grades will be enjoying this special event on Wed, 3/26 (the week we get back from spring break).  There are opportunities for parents (or grandparents) to help either with food, setting up or cleaning up.  
HOT LUNCH on Thursdays: 
  • The weekly menu locks at midnight on Sunday night – so be sure to place your orders and check out in time. Once your account is set up, it should be easy for the rest of the year! ORDER HERE  

 

FROM MRS. MITCHELL:  

As we reflect on the events of the 3rd quarter, we are grateful for the Lord’s mercies.  Through the very real challenges of sickness and storms, He has sustained and strengthened us. We rejoice in the spiritual, academic, and personal growth that we are able to witness as we look in the rearview mirror.  The hope of spring returning and the joy of warm weather and beauty remind us of His faithfulness in the cycles of our lives.  We anticipate a strong finish to the school year.  We pray that spring break will provide a time of refreshment for our families and we look forward to all that the 4th quarter will bring.

UPCOMING

Week of March 17th – SPRING BREAK!

FOURTH QUARTER:
  • NEW Mon, 3/24:  6p – Parent Mtg for Colonial Williamsburg trip (8th/ 9th grades)
  • Wed, 3/26:  8th and 11th grade Medieval Day.  4th grade will visit in the afternoon.
  • Fri, 3/28:  Quo Vadis?  4th grade to visit upper school
  • Tues, 4/1 – Wed, 4/2:  8th and 9th Colonial Williamsburg Trip
  • Thurs, 4/3:  
    • Coffee and Conversation with Mr. Johnston
    • 4th grade – field trip to Old Salem
  • Week of April 7th:  Senior Thesis Adjudication
  • Mon, 4/7:  Used Uniform Sale – Sign up link to come soon!
  • Tues, 4/8:   – 3rd grade Field trip to Morehead Planetarium
  • Thurs, 4/10:  
    • 12th grade: CLT
    • NEW DATE  11th grade: CLT
  • Tues, 4/15:  
    • Final day to RENEW NCOS
    • 10th grade: CLT10
  • Fri, 4/18:  Good Friday – no school
  • Mon, 4/21:  Easter Monday – no school
  • Thurs, 4/24:  3rd – 4th, Bradford Night 2.0, 6:30 pm
  • Thurs, 5/1:  Coffee and Conversation with Mr. Johnston
  • Fri, 5/2:  Teacher Appreciation Day
  • Mon, 5/5:
    • 3rd – 7th grade CLT – standardized testing
  • Tues, 5/6:
    • 3rd – 6th grade CLT – standardized testing
    • 8th grade CLT – standardized testing
  • Thurs, 5/8:  Tentative Bradford Games (for upper school students)
  • Fri, 5/9:  Teacher workday
  • Thurs, 5/22:  
    • TK last day of school
    • Spring Fine Arts Program:  Upper school
  • Mon, 5/26:  Memorial Day – no school
  • Wed, 5/28:
    • K – 4th grades:  Verse Bee – times TBA
    • 11th – 12th grades:  Gala at the White House on Washington
  • Thurs, 5/29:
    • 10:00 – Baccalaureate (upper school)
  • Fri, 5/30:  Last day of school!
    • Kindergarten certificate ceremony
    • All students dismissed at 12:00 pm
    • Graduation, 7pm

 

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

 

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

TK students ended our 3rd quarter strong with a math review week and learning to write lowercase letters. Students enjoyed several math activities to review concepts learned so far. This will prepare students for new concepts that are coming in the 4th quarter. Students learned lowercase letters a, d, and o as well as the capital partners. This is challenging as we are asking students to write much smaller to prepare for cursive in kindergarten. We will continue lowercase letters through the remainder of the school year. A few of our centers included: listening to a story and answering questions, making a “Fruits of the Spirit” book, a capital lowercase letter match game, and several math review games. In lieu of a Bible story this week, we focused on the fruits of the Spirit and learned a new verse by way of a song (Galatians 5:22-23). We also discussed where the fruits come from and what each fruit means. The fruits of the Spirit that the Bible speaks of are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

 

Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)

K – 4th
  •  Students worked hard and persevered in P.E. this week as we learned how to play the game, Kickball. 

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th 
  • Students worked hard on the first verse of “Christ The Lord Is Risen Today”. Third and Fourth grade students persevered through some challenging parts of pieces for their upcoming Bradford Night in April. 

 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week
  • Our kindergarten scholars have officially finished their third quarter of the school year! To celebrate the end of the quarter, we had our Reading Day and Dr. Seuss Day. The students were excited to spend those two days reading books, eating green eggs and ham, and participating in fun  classroom activities. In math, we reviewed tally marks, adding one to a number, and how to identify a number that is in between. In phonics, we introduced our new reader, “Ben and His Pen,” and reviewed our number word spelling words. In art, we finished up our Justinian the Great mosaics and in science, we continued to work on our mammal lap books. We hope that you all have a wonderful and restful spring break!
Memory Work:   
  •  Proverbs 14:34 and review

 

1st Grade (Mrs. Cantaffa & Mrs. Smith)

This Week
  • This week in Math, we continued strengthening our addition skills by practicing 100 addition fact sheets and working with the addition algorithm. Mastery of these foundational skills will serve our students well as they develop into confident and capable problem solvers. In Reading, we enjoyed Frog and Toad: “The Corner”, discussing its themes of patience, perseverance, and friendship. This tied beautifully into our focus on virtue, as we reflected on how God calls us to trust in Him even when we cannot yet see the outcome. In Cursive, Spelling, Grammar, and History, we had a delightful time celebrating Dr. Seuss! We practiced rhyming, writing, and word play while completing engaging activities that reinforced literacy skills. Through the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss, we were reminded of the joy of language and the power of storytelling. Thursday was an extra special Reading Day, where students participated in a scavenger hunt and enjoyed a Frog and Toad Tea Room—a wonderful way to bring literature to life! We ended the week with a fun-filled Dr. Seuss Day on Friday. Students experienced the classic Green Eggs and Ham, enjoyed special snacks, listened to stories, and took part in engaging activities that fostered a love of reading. As always, we are grateful for the opportunity to nurture both the minds and hearts of our students. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement!
Memory Work:  
  • Review!
 

 

2nd Grade (Mrs. Hedgecock & Mrs. Eng)

This Week
  •  Every week is full of adventure in second grade, but this week was extraordinarily full!  We continued our study of Moses, learning how God was establishing Israel as a great nation.  God summoned Moses up Mt. Sinai and gave him commandments by which the Israelites were to live.  As we memorize these Ten Commandments it is our desire that the students will choose to live according to them also.  Our memory verse this week, Matthew 22:37-39 summed up the commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Our field trip to the Animal Park was a perfect ending to our science unit studying the Animal Kingdom.  It was interesting to see some of the animals we studied.  Reading Day on Thursday allowed the students more time to spend reading a variety of genres – biographies, poetry, non-fiction, fiction, etc.  The conclusion of our Winnie the Pooh book was our annual Pooh Day!  What fun to spend time in the 100 Aker Wood learning to jump like Kanga, help put Eeyore’s tail back on, going on an expotition, and eating Winnie-the-Pooh’s favorite food – HONEY!  The students also performed as the Popper’s Performing Penguins to Schubert’s Military March.  What a week of learning adventures!  

 

3rd Grade (Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Meredith)

This Week
  • We had a very busy week, jam packed with learning and fun! This week, we learned about the ministry of John the Baptist. Students compared the four gospel accounts found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and discussed why God sent John the Baptist prior to the start of Christ’s ministry on earth. John was reluctant to baptize Jesus because he felt unworthy. Jesus, who did not need baptism for sin, accepted baptism in obedient service to the Father. God demonstrated his approval when, “the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him” (Matthew 3:16). Students had a chance to experience what it would have been like to live like John the Baptist by sampling “locusts” (grasshoppers) and honey. We hope this gives your child an appreciation for those who have come before and prepared the way so that others may freely live out their faith! We ended the week with Reading Day and Pi Day. Students enjoyed the Third Grade Cafe as they sipped hot beverages, enjoyed snacks, and spent the day reading.  For Pi Day, students memorized digits of Pi, calculated the circumference of a circle, watched Pi videos,  played Pi games, and ate pie too!  We are thankful for another wonderful quarter as we look forward to our final quarter together. We pray that you have an enjoyable and restful spring break!
  • Field Trip: Morehead Planetarium – 4/8

 

4th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Mrs. Rankin) 

This Week
  •  In the final week of the third quarter, we delved into the transformative impact of the Gutenberg Printing Press, discussing how its invention in the 15th century revolutionized communication. Most notably, the printing press played a pivotal role in the spread of the gospel and the accessibility of Scripture, as it allowed the Bible to be printed in the vernacular, making it available to the common man for the first time. This advancement greatly contributed to the Reformation and the widespread dissemination of Christian teachings. We explored multiplying unit fractions by whole numbers, applying our mathematical understanding to real-world scenarios. The class also participated in a spirited Spell Off, followed by a series of fun review games to reinforce the key concepts we’ve studied this quarter. We finished the quarter with a full day of reading and a Pi Day celebration, where we enjoyed pies, calculated the circumference of circles, answered Pi trivia, and even learned a catchy Pi song! Enjoy the break as we prepare to enter our final quarter of fourth grade!
  • Medieval Day – March 26th
  • Quo Vadis – March 28th
  • Old Salem Field Trip – April 3rd
  • Science Project: Elements Due – April 22nd

 

LOGIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Bennington

5th-10th Band
  • Band students did a great job reviewing material and sight reading new material in preparation for our Spring Concert. Students have been working hard and I am looking forward to a strong fourth quarter. Please practice over the break as you can, especially right before we come back to school. 

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Chorus, Bradford Chorale

All Choirs began reading concert music this week. We had a lot of fun figuring out some busy rhythms and piecing those together. As you head into break, please purpose to spend time with your music so we do not forget what we have worked on over the past week. We will hit the ground running when we return from break.

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston) 

This Week
  • The students did exceptionally well this week. They worked hard to finish the last of the assignments and to study for their tests. We covered a range of topics including subtracting with decimals, Valley Forge, George Washington’s legacy and a boy named Johnny Tremain. The students stayed focused and worked hard even with spring break looming in front of them. They ended the quarter strong and we are very excited to see how well they do next quarter!
Memory Work:  
  • Philippians 2:14-16

 

6th Grade (Miss Stevenson)

6th Reading and Literature
  • We are continuing to read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.
6th Grammar and Writing
  • Students completed the third essay in Lost Tools of Writing this week. We will jump straight into the fourth essay when we return from spring break as it will help prepare us for our big compare/contrast essay later in the quarter.
6th Bible
  • We finished up the book of Acts this week! When we return from break, we will begin to tackle the Revelation. 
6th History
  •  This week we spent the first of two weeks that we will spend learning about World War 1.
6th Science
  • As a reminder, 3D Cell Projects are due Wednesday, April 2.
6th Logic
  • We took a week off from Logic to spend more time on History.
6th Latin
  • This week in Latin we discussed the difference between direct and indirect objects. We also reviewed endings for second declension nouns.

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math
  • This week the students completed Chapter 9 review and test.  They concluded the week with a “Pi” contest!  The top number of decimal places memorized for Pi was 160 by Olivia Yang; second place was Sal Papaneri (54); third place was Nora Palmer (53); and fourth place was Miranda Scott (33).  They brought in round treats to share after measuring the circumference and diameter.

Mrs. Palmer 

6th Art
  • Students worked on their graphite still life drawings this week.  They spent much time and effort aiming for grayscale, details and perspective. 

Dr. Wright

7th Composition 
  • We continue to sharpen concise sentences and basic structuring of persuasive essays.  Students revisited correct citation practices in their 1-2 Samuel papers. 
7th Omnibus – Literature, History, Bible
  • We have completed our time with Virgil’s Aeneid, and delved deeper into literary analysis.  Ask your student about Aeneus journeying to the underworld, and the significance of Virgil’s presentation of that chapter.  In History, students completed two significant papers on 1 and 2 Samuel, and are now prepared to move more quickly through the Old Testament’s story, which we should complete by the end of Quarter 4. 
7th Logic
  • We have taken some extra time in logic to recover from the loss of days due to snow and sickness.  This pattern will continue for several weeks in Quarter 4.  

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  • Our focus this week was on planet Earth and how Earth’s rotation and revolution determine the hours of daylight and the seasons that we experience.  We studied the roughly 24 time zones on Earth and learned how to calculate time changes from one time zone to another. We also discussed the difference between seasonal solstices and seasonal equinoxes and how the season influences the number of daylight hours we experience.
7th Pre-Algebra
  • We ended the quarter with plenty of food and fun by celebrating Pi Day (3.14).  By measuring the circumference and diameter of pies, cookies, cakes, fruits and vegetables, we were able to use Archimedes’ method to approximate the value of Pi (𝜋). Many students were able to get quite close even with practical measurement, arriving at values such as 3.14088, very close to the approximate value of 3.14159.

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • Students finished up their pen and ink animal drawings this week.  They focused on hatching, cross hatching and stippling. 

Miss Johnston

7th Latin
  • We took the National Latin Exam this week!

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus 
  • History:   Students have completed their take-home essay tests on the High Middle Ages.  
  • Literature:  We have completed The Two Towers, reviewing Tolkien’s key literary themes therein.  Students will be reading Shakespeare’s Henry V over Spring Break.  
  • Composition:  Vocabulary expansion, based on literature readings, continues.  We have also begun to introduce the form of the Shakespearean sonnet.  

Miss Johnston

8th Latin
  • We took the National Latin Exam this week!

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science
  • We prepared for our upcoming chemistry unit by watching a documentary series called The Mystery of Matter. The students were introduced to the groundbreaking work of Joseph Priestley, Antoine Lavoisier, Dmitri Mendeleev, Marie Curie, Harry Moseley, and Glenn Seaborg. Ask your student what they learned about the historical study of chemistry this week!
8th Algebra I
  • We ended the quarter with plenty of food and fun by celebrating Pi Day (3.14).  By measuring the circumference and diameter of pies, cookies, cakes, fruits and vegetables, we were able to use Archimedes’ method to approximate the value of Pi (𝜋). Many students were able to get quite close even with practical measurement, arriving at values such as 3.14088, very close to the approximate value of 3.14159.

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • Students worked on a variety of technical skill activities this week. 

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • We learned the form and mood of arguments.

RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th: 

  • Seniors enjoyed a week in Charleston for their senior trip.  They worked hard to raise funds by selling hot lunches and snacks during the year to finance the trip.
  • Juniors continued discussions of college choices and scholarship searches and were encouraged to visit a college or colleges during Spring Break.
  • Juniors are beginning to take the ACT, a requirement of the NC Opportunity Scholarship.

 

Mrs. Palmer 

9th Spanish 
  • This week students reviewed past vocabulary and grammar concepts.  

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • We ended the third quarter with an introduction to our next unit on calculating area. This week, we practiced calculating the areas of parallelograms, triangles, trapezoids, kites, and rhombi. The students have been able to use their knowledge of trigonometry to break more complex shapes into smaller triangles and solve for unknown sides even when very little information is given.

Mr. Crotts

9th Logic
  • All of our formal and informal logic studies were put into use evaluating conditional statements in Scripture, theology, literature, and philosophy.

Dr. and Mrs. James

9th Biology
  • This week the students took their last test of Q3, and some of them gave their research presentations on symbiotic relationships. 
  • Have a great Spring Break!

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • 9th Graders received copies of the book Animal Farm by George Orwell.  They also were given instructions to begin a character sketch: choose a character and research the person in history represented.  We also began discussions of capitalism versus communism.

Dr. Byrd 

9th Bible 
  • This week we began the Minor Prophets. When we return from Spring Break, we will be beginning The Gospels. 

Coach Johnston 

9th History 
  • This week, students completed their unit on World War I and took their final major assessment of the quarter. We had planned to do a WW1 reenactment for Friday but due to the amount of students missing class on Friday, we did a brief survey of the 1920s in preparation for next quarter’s study of the Great Depression, World War 2 and the Cold War. We will complete the WW1 reenactment when we return from spring break.

Coach Johnston 

9th/10th PE
  • This week students continued to enjoy the beautiful weather outside by playing soccer on Tuesday and then they all challenged themselves to further develop their skills while also laughing with others (sometimes at themselves) as we all went bowling on Thursday. Enjoy the Spring Break!

Coach Johnston 

10th History 
  • This class is quickly advancing through the story of the rise and fall of the Roman Republic while also reading Josephus’ Jewish War. There are many stories and lessons ahead, but enjoy the spring break and come back ready to keep moving forward. It has also been a delight this quarter to challenge the students to prepare questions for our morning devotionals through the book of Matthew. It has been a joy to watch students demonstrate their current ability to study God’s word and to see them ask observation, interpretation and application questions of themselves and their classmates. Our goal is to keep working through cycles of the class until we have finished the gospel of Matthew this year.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week the students took their last test of Q3.
  • Have a great Spring Break!

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • This week students reviewed past vocabulary and grammar concepts.

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • Students completed a project related to inverse functions.  We also had an introduction to logarithms and the graphs of log functions.  A final topic was a mini unit on the binary number system.  We honored Pi Day by learning a little about the history of pi and enjoying a piece of pie.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • Students completed summaries of Ovid’s Metamorphoses and wrote about works of literature influenced by this work such as Romeo and Juliet (Pyramus and Thisbe) and My Fair Lady (Pygmalion).

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric I
  • Students got their Teeny Tiny Thesis assignments this week. We will be working on these during fourth quarter, but I wanted them to get a head start on thinking through their topics. 

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology
  • Students took a test on the Reformation and post-Reformation time periods, and began their work on their Teeny Tiny thesis that is a joint project between this class and their Rhetoric class.

Mrs. Palmer

11th Spanish III
  • Students worked on writing and speaking in the target language this week.  We also reviewed past grammar and vocabulary. 

Mrs. Byrd

11th Precalculus
  • Students completed a project Roller Coaster Trig Functions in which they had to design a roller coaster track using trig functions with various transformations and domain restrictions.  We also learned to use Sum & Difference Trig Identities and the Law of Sines.  In honor of Pi Day we learned a bit about the history of pi and enjoyed a piece of pie.
11th Physics
  • We completed our Q3 project this week where we estimated the speed of light using a microwave and a bar of chocolate.  We came within 10% of the actual value and enjoyed making smores with the melted chocolate.  We are also considering the wave and particle nature of light and began a brief introduction to the topic of optics.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  • Students discussed Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and worked on Medieval Day items. Medieval Day is March 26th, the Wednesday we return from break. 

Dr. Smith

11th NT Greek
  • Students took a test on the imperfect verb and some vocabulary.

Miss Oldham

12th Literature
  • We did not have class since Seniors were in Charleston!
12th Rhetoric II
  •   We did not have class since Seniors were in Charleston!

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • Seniors are getting a break from calculus this week and touring the lovely city of Charleston, SC.